FCPS vs. MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well regardless of how much mcps posters insult each other to defend mcps, the fact is mcps is all about "racial equity" and the "achievement gap" and gives short-shrift to education of gifted kids, high performing kids, or even a rigorous curriculum. Compared to FCPS that is a recipe for disaster if you have intelligent and hard working but gifted kids. Especially if these kids are of the "wrong" ethnicity. Moreover, there is a condescension and opaqueness on the part of the mcps educrats that really takes away any rational basis for planning for your child's education or experience in the system.

Overall from the parents point of view, if you are upper middle class no question FCPS is the better option.

Not necessarily.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/796415.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love how people in both school districts will bash their own districts on the MD and VA school forums, but when it come to MD versus VA, all of a sudden people fall in love with their own district (and bash the other one).

It's the ol'..."it's fine if I insult my family member, but no one outside the family can do it".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well regardless of how much mcps posters insult each other to defend mcps, the fact is mcps is all about "racial equity" and the "achievement gap" and gives short-shrift to education of gifted kids, high performing kids, or even a rigorous curriculum. Compared to FCPS that is a recipe for disaster if you have intelligent and hard working but gifted kids. Especially if these kids are of the "wrong" ethnicity. Moreover, there is a condescension and opaqueness on the part of the mcps educrats that really takes away any rational basis for planning for your child's education or experience in the system.

Overall from the parents point of view, if you are upper middle class no question FCPS is the better option.

Curious why MCPS prestige programs destroy VA's AAP/magnets in every academic measure?

They don't. This is another suburban myth from mcps backers who are 50 years behind in information.

Accept it happens multiple times every year in multiple quiz bowls, math counts, intel scholarships, %NMSF etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well regardless of how much mcps posters insult each other to defend mcps, the fact is mcps is all about "racial equity" and the "achievement gap" and gives short-shrift to education of gifted kids, high performing kids, or even a rigorous curriculum. Compared to FCPS that is a recipe for disaster if you have intelligent and hard working but gifted kids. Especially if these kids are of the "wrong" ethnicity. Moreover, there is a condescension and opaqueness on the part of the mcps educrats that really takes away any rational basis for planning for your child's education or experience in the system.

Overall from the parents point of view, if you are upper middle class no question FCPS is the better option.

Curious why MCPS prestige programs destroy VA's AAP/magnets in every academic measure?

They don't. This is another suburban myth from mcps backers who are 50 years behind in information.

Accept it happens multiple times every year in multiple quiz bowls, math counts, intel scholarships, %NMSF etc.

Well, this one bit doesn't seem true by latest count--171/162680 for MCPs vs 254/187830 for FCPS (NMSF/Total student body--didn't have number of grads on hand).
MCPS .00105 vs FCPS .00135 Vive la difference! And this whole discussion strikes me as fairly inane. UMC families in MCPS and FCPS are both better served than most large public school system nationwide and the differences between them are minute. Your children's outcomes will depend very much more on whether parents are happy where they are living, have a reasonable commute, afford their housing etc. than they will on the tiny differences between these districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well regardless of how much mcps posters insult each other to defend mcps, the fact is mcps is all about "racial equity" and the "achievement gap" and gives short-shrift to education of gifted kids, high performing kids, or even a rigorous curriculum. Compared to FCPS that is a recipe for disaster if you have intelligent and hard working but gifted kids. Especially if these kids are of the "wrong" ethnicity. Moreover, there is a condescension and opaqueness on the part of the mcps educrats that really takes away any rational basis for planning for your child's education or experience in the system.

Overall from the parents point of view, if you are upper middle class no question FCPS is the better option.

Curious why MCPS prestige programs destroy VA's AAP/magnets in every academic measure?

They don't. This is another suburban myth from mcps backers who are 50 years behind in information.

Accept it happens multiple times every year in multiple quiz bowls, math counts, intel scholarships, %NMSF etc.

Although Blair's program is a fraction of the size of TJ, they have a much higher percentage of NMSF, way more Intel Scholars, and members of Physics and Math Olympiad. Also loved watching them crush TJ when they faced off on It's Academic.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from FCPS in the 90s and best I can tell the schools have gone downhill significantly since that time. My children, however, attend MCPS. From my personal experience, MCPS seems much stronger.

[Anonymous]

Interesting https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/805278.page;jsessionid=8ABF4F3DE6A69B5FFFCDA14EF20BDAEB, https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/805278.page;jsessionid=8ABF4F3DE6A69B5FFFCDA14EF20BDAEB, <a href="https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/805278.page;jsessionid=8ABF4F3DE6A69B5FFFCDA14EF20BDAEB">https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/805278.page;jsessionid=8ABF4F3DE6A69B5FFFCDA14EF20BDAEB</a>

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well regardless of how much mcps posters insult each other to defend mcps, the fact is mcps is all about "racial equity" and the "achievement gap" and gives short-shrift to education of gifted kids, high performing kids, or even a rigorous curriculum. Compared to FCPS that is a recipe for disaster if you have intelligent and hard working but gifted kids. Especially if these kids are of the "wrong" ethnicity. Moreover, there is a condescension and opaqueness on the part of the mcps educrats that really takes away any rational basis for planning for your child's education or experience in the system.

Overall from the parents point of view, if you are upper middle class no question FCPS is the better option.

Curious why MCPS prestige programs destroy VA's AAP/magnets in every academic measure?

They don't. This is another suburban myth from mcps backers who are 50 years behind in information.

Accept it happens multiple times every year in multiple quiz bowls, math counts, intel scholarships, %NMSF etc.

Although Blair's program is a fraction of the size of TJ, they have a much higher percentage of NMSF, way more Intel Scholars, and members of Physics and Math Olympiad. Also loved watching them crush TJ when they faced off on It's Academic.

It’s reassuring to know that TJ kids - in a much more challenging and robust academic environment than Blair - spend less time investing in a 20-minute quiz show and more time on other pursuits.

[Anonymous]

Your children's outcomes will depend very much more on whether parents are happy where they are living, have a reasonable commute, afford their housing etc. than they will on the tiny differences between these districts

This

Attended a W school in MoCo, kids went to FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well regardless of how much mcps posters insult each other to defend mcps, the fact is mcps is all about "racial equity" and the "achievement gap" and gives short-shrift to education of gifted kids, high performing kids, or even a rigorous curriculum. Compared to FCPS that is a recipe for disaster if you have intelligent and hard working but gifted kids. Especially if these kids are of the "wrong" ethnicity. Moreover, there is a condescension and opaqueness on the part of the mcps educrats that really takes away any rational basis for planning for your child's education or experience in the system.

Overall from the parents point of view, if you are upper middle class no question FCPS is the better option.

Curious why MCPS prestige programs destroy VA's AAP/magnets in every academic measure?

They don't. This is another suburban myth from mcps backers who are 50 years behind in information.

Accept it happens multiple times every year in multiple quiz bowls, math counts, intel scholarships, %NMSF etc.

Although Blair's program is a fraction of the size of TJ, they have a much higher percentage of NMSF, way more Intel Scholars, and members of Physics and Math Olympiad. Also loved watching them crush TJ when they faced off on It's Academic.

It’s reassuring to know that TJ kids - in a much more challenging and robust academic environment than Blair - spend less time investing in a 20-minute quiz show and more time on other pursuits.

Like intel/Regeneron pursuits...in which Blair also crushes TJ.
LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Accept it happens multiple times every year in multiple quiz bowls, math counts, intel scholarships, %NMSF etc.

Well, this one bit doesn't seem true by latest count--171/162680 for MCPs vs 254/187830 for FCPS (NMSF/Total student body--didn't have number of grads on hand).
MCPS .00105 vs FCPS .00135 Vive la difference!

Those numbers are more than a bit cooked, though. TJ imports about 100 top students from Loudoun county, Arlington, Alexandria, and elsewhere. The NMSF at TJ from non-FCPS districts shouldn't be counted among the FCPS NMSF. Or, if you want to count them, then you need to add the student population from those areas as well. Most of those kids were going to be NMSF no matter where they attended high school. The fact that they could choose to leave their district and attend TJ doesn't speak to the general quality of education or students in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

The quality of a school system generally depends on several factors.

1. Resources and funding.
2. Student population
3. Teacher pay
4. Teacher ability to focus on instruction/more freedom/morale
5. Leadership/Oversight

1. Fairfax wins. MoCo is out of money and already diverts most money toward the growing list of underperforming schools. Fairfax is in a better position, if the voters allow it, to stay funded.
2. Fairfax- Montgomery County is getting poorer and MCPS is struggling to deal with this. There are a ridiculous number of private schools ranging from big, prestigious ones to tons of catholic and other more moderately priced privates. As MCPS declines, parents just opt out.
3. MCPS wins. MCPS still pays better and offers better benefits so it will attractor teachers and keep existing ones even if they can't stand MCPS.
4. Fairfax wins. MCPS is VERY toxic for teachers. Good teachers get demoralized quickly, more time is spent collecting data than grading student work, and its probably one of the worst systems in the country to work in right now.
5. Fairfax wins. I'm not saying that Fairfax has stellar leadership but MCPS has set the bar very low. MCPS is plagued with sex abuse scandals, a pattern of hiding and protecting employee abuses against kids, no discipline in the schools, dangerous facilities, discrimination investigations, sinking test scores, and a botched curriculum. There is no accountability in MCPS. Heck the principal that didn't call the police immediately when she found out one of the kids had been raped in school was simply transferred into the central office with full pay, not even a demotion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The quality of a school system generally depends on several factors.

1. Resources and funding.
2. Student population
3. Teacher pay
4. Teacher ability to focus on instruction/more freedom/morale
5. Leadership/Oversight

1. Fairfax wins. MoCo is out of money and already diverts most money toward the growing list of underperforming schools. Fairfax is in a better position, if the voters allow it, to stay funded.
2. Fairfax- Montgomery County is getting poorer and MCPS is struggling to deal with this. There are a ridiculous number of private schools ranging from big, prestigious ones to tons of catholic and other more moderately priced privates. As MCPS declines, parents just opt out.
3. MCPS wins. MCPS still pays better and offers better benefits so it will attractor teachers and keep existing ones even if they can't stand MCPS.
4. Fairfax wins. MCPS is VERY toxic for teachers. Good teachers get demoralized quickly, more time is spent collecting data than grading student work, and its probably one of the worst systems in the country to work in right now.
5. Fairfax wins. I'm not saying that Fairfax has stellar leadership but MCPS has set the bar very low. MCPS is plagued with sex abuse scandals, a pattern of hiding and protecting employee abuses against kids, no discipline in the schools, dangerous facilities, discrimination investigations, sinking test scores, and a botched curriculum. There is no accountability in MCPS. Heck the principal that didn't call the police immediately when she found out one of the kids had been raped in school was simply transferred into the central office with full pay, not even a demotion.

These are mostly your opinions otherwise please provide actual citations. In my experience having kids attend schools in both county';s MCPS did a much better job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well regardless of how much mcps posters insult each other to defend mcps, the fact is mcps is all about "racial equity" and the "achievement gap" and gives short-shrift to education of gifted kids, high performing kids, or even a rigorous curriculum. Compared to FCPS that is a recipe for disaster if you have intelligent and hard working but gifted kids. Especially if these kids are of the "wrong" ethnicity. Moreover, there is a condescension and opaqueness on the part of the mcps educrats that really takes away any rational basis for planning for your child's education or experience in the system.

Overall from the parents point of view, if you are upper middle class no question FCPS is the better option.

Curious why MCPS prestige programs destroy VA's AAP/magnets in every academic measure?

They don't. This is another suburban myth from mcps backers who are 50 years behind in information.

Accept it happens multiple times every year in multiple quiz bowls, math counts, intel scholarships, %NMSF etc.

Although Blair's program is a fraction of the size of TJ, they have a much higher percentage of NMSF, way more Intel Scholars, and members of Physics and Math Olympiad. Also loved watching them crush TJ when they faced off on It's Academic.

I just saw Blair won this year too and TJ didn't even make it to the finals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The quality of a school system generally depends on several factors.

1. Resources and funding.
2. Student population
3. Teacher pay
4. Teacher ability to focus on instruction/more freedom/morale
5. Leadership/Oversight

1. Fairfax wins. MoCo is out of money and already diverts most money toward the growing list of underperforming schools. Fairfax is in a better position, if the voters allow it, to stay funded.
2. Fairfax- Montgomery County is getting poorer and MCPS is struggling to deal with this. There are a ridiculous number of private schools ranging from big, prestigious ones to tons of catholic and other more moderately priced privates. As MCPS declines, parents just opt out.
3. MCPS wins. MCPS still pays better and offers better benefits so it will attractor teachers and keep existing ones even if they can't stand MCPS.
4. Fairfax wins. MCPS is VERY toxic for teachers. Good teachers get demoralized quickly, more time is spent collecting data than grading student work, and its probably one of the worst systems in the country to work in right now.
5. Fairfax wins. I'm not saying that Fairfax has stellar leadership but MCPS has set the bar very low. MCPS is plagued with sex abuse scandals, a pattern of hiding and protecting employee abuses against kids, no discipline in the schools, dangerous facilities, discrimination investigations, sinking test scores, and a botched curriculum. There is no accountability in MCPS. Heck the principal that didn't call the police immediately when she found out one of the kids had been raped in school was simply transferred into the central office with full pay, not even a demotion.

Nailed it.